Much has been made of the Denver Broncos and their desire to trade out of the No. 2 spot in the upcoming NFL Draft. As it stands now, the Broncos have no good deals on the table to move out of their current slot. With the league’s unsettled labor situation no one is really sure how this year’s draft trade market will shake out.

As such, Denver may have to make a selection at the No. 2 spot. In a weird way it’s lucky the Broncos have plenty of holes on their roster that need filling, and there will be players available to fill those spots. Of those players apparently a favorite has emerged.

If the Carolina Panthers don’t select him with the No. 1 overall pick, reports have claimed that Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus won’t get past the Broncos at the No. 2 spot. Denver is converting back to a 4-3 defense under new head coach John Fox, and Dareus would be a perfect fit on the interior of such a scheme. He would be added to a defensive line that would likely see Elvis Dumervil and Robert Ayers on the outside. That could be the beginning of a pretty good front four.

Most experts think the 6’3, 319-pound Dareus is the safest pick among the top tier prospects in the class. He is currently Scouts Inc.’s top-rated player, with a grade of 97.

Unless the Broncos can somehow convince someone to trade up to No. 2 – likely to grab either Cam Newton or Blaine Gabbert – Denver will have to pray the Panthers don’t take Dareus off the board.